The Portrait of Senator Amidala
by Blacknayami
Summary: Darth Vader visits Alderaan and is unpleasantly reminded of painful memories from his past by the portrait of a certain Senator that hangs in the palace. Can a young Princess Leia help him overcome his pain?
1. Rainy Day

The Portrait of Senator Amidala

By Blacknayami

Summary: Darth Vader visits Alderaan and is unpleasantly reminded of memories from his past by the portrait of a certain Senator that hangs in the palace. Can a young Princess Leia help him overcome his pain?

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written purely for fun.

Prologue: Rainy Day

Aldeeran was a beautiful, lush planet, but it rained constantly. She got in trouble for venturing outside in the rain, so her pastime during the boring downpours was to explore the almost deserted, drafty passageways of the royal alderaanian palace. The halls were not always well illuminated, and there were creepy paintings that followed you with their eyes and statues depicting beings fighting with long spears and other such disturbing pieces of artwork to be found there. When she discovered these things, young Leia would hurry back to the part of the palace she resided in and run to her mother for comfort, but the next rainy day would always find her back, wandering the halls, curious as to what else she would find.

It was one such tedious day and Leia had, as usual, begun exploring, when she saw a particularly terrifying statue. It was of a pair of humans, one of whose head was one the ground while it was frozen in its fall, the other, who swung a sword, which had obviously decapitated the other, standing triumphantly above it. The artwork was amazingly realistic, and of course the piece sent Leia running off as quickly as she could to find her mother. However, she was in such a rush to escape from the grisly scene that the young princess must have taken a wrong turn, for when she pulled open the door of a room, fully expecting it to be her nursery, she discovered a dusty, deserted chamber full of furniture that was covered with drab cloth drapes. A tarnished chandelier hung from the ceiling, its crystal droplets glinting faintly in the pale glow of light that escaped from between two heavy curtains covering a tall window.

Leia immediately forgot about her fears of the gruesome statue. She ran about, opening the curtains to let light shine into the room, pulled the covers off of faded but still stunning furniture and was excitedly examining a beautifully carved dark wooden table when she saw the painting, and froze.

The woman depicted on the canvas had a lovely, but imperious face that was covered in heavy make-up. She wore voluminous, elaborate robes and jewelry and her headdress was so enormous that Leia wondered that her head didn't snap off under its weight.

She was beautiful, yes, but seemed as cold and frigid as ice. Her gaze bore into Leia's, and the girl felt guilty for having disturbed the woman's room. Quickly she turned and began to replace all of the sheets from where she had flung them, covering all of the furniture once again.

As soon as the task was finished Leia turned back to the woman, bowed, and whispered an apology. Still, the woman's expression remained as harsh and distantly beautiful as it had before.

The girl hurried away. Still, the room seemed to carry some sort of magic to it, for each rainy day she found herself attracted magnetically to the same chamber to look at the lovely woman visage until the cold gaze chilled her so much that she must depart as quickly as she had come.

Leia had discovered the painting when she was 6 years old. For another two years she visited the woman whom she knew was named Senator Padme Amidala thanks to the tarnished bronze plaque that was to be found underneath the painting. On her eighth birthday Leia's father Bail Organa took her to Senator Amidala's room and showed her the painting.

" Look at her Leia", he told her, smiling. " Isn't she beautiful?"

" Yes", hesitated Leia, " But… she seems so… distant".

Bail's smile faded worriedly. " That's just how she was represented here darling", he told her. " I knew her, and in real life, she was kind and warm".

Leia searched the woman's face and could find no trace of kindness or warmth. But… she was absolutely cold in the painting. Leia was sure that nobody was perfectly cold in real life. Father must be right; she must have been painted wrong.

It was a year later that Leia discovered that she was not the only one affected by the cold painting.


	2. Enter Lord Vader

Chapter 1: Enter Lord Vader

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written purely for fun.

It had been one of Alderaan's rare sunny, dry days and Leia had enjoyed it to the fullest, running about and playing games outside. When she tramped back in for dinner (bringing with her a large quantity of dirt), her cheeks glowing with joy, Leia's happy smile was returned with a weak one from her father. The young girl could immediately tell that something was amiss.

" Father, what is it?" the princess exclaimed. " What has happened?"

Bail made a brave attempt at looking unperturbed and failed miserably.

" We… shall have some company for a little, my dear", he told her. " That is all".

Leia surveyed him worriedly.

" Who is visiting us?" she asked quietly.

Bail sucked in a deep breath.

" Darth Vader", he told her, speaking the name as though it was the darkest of curses " will be inspecting how Alderaan runs for two to three weeks".

Leia's eyes widened with horror. Her father had told her all too many tales about Darth Vader and his cruel, ruthless methods of dealing with opposition.

" Oh no!" she exclaimed. " What if he learns about-" (by now Leia was fully aware of her father's ties to the Rebel Alliance) "-about your business transactions?" she amended, recalling Bail's lecture on the importance of secrecy and discretion.

Bail managed to gain some semblance of calm.

" We will just have to make sure he does not", he informed her, and threw himself into preparations.

A week later, Princess Leia found herself waiting for Lord Vader's arrival with the rest of her family. She had been forced into her least favorite gown made of stiff embroidered silk and was therefore twice as predisposed to hate Darth Vader than she had already been previously.

" Remember to be polite to him", Bail muttered to her under his breath. " He is a guest, and a very powerful and influential one at that".

Leia nodded, her eyes fixed upon the doors of the throne room. Any moment now… she glanced at her father, who was surreptitiously checking the time on a large golden pocket watch of his.

" He should be here in about ten minutes now", Bail whispered to his wife and daughter.

The wait that followed was a long one that seemed to drag on forever, although in reality it took only about five minutes, until it was broken by the entrance of a guard.

" Lord Vader had arrived Viceroy", he announced.

Bail nodded serenely. " Please show him in", he responded. The guard gave a small bow and left the room. A moment later the large, elaborate doors swung open and a small group of stormtroopers were led into the throne room by a tall, imposing figure clad from head to toe in black leather and steel. Vader's loud, mechanical breathing echoed through the deathly silent chamber.

The Sith Lord strode calmly up to the royal family. Up close it was easy for Leia to observe how tall he really was and how terrifying his skull-like mask was. In fact, he was frightening enough to be one of the sculptures in the palace halls. Vader gave no greeting, he merely stood before his hosts and crossed his arms calmly. There was an awkward pause, and then Bail spoke up.

" Greetings Lord Vader", he uttered, trying to keep his nervousness from leaking into his voice. " I trust your journey went well?"

" It did", answered the Sith lord in a deep, rumbling voice. This was, however, where Vader deemed further small talk unnecessary. " You will give me a tour of the palace, and then I shall begin inspection of the members of your government".

" Very well milord", responded Bail. A bit of color rose into his cheeks at the Dark lord's discourtesy, but he remained in control of himself and began the tour, signaling for Breha and Leia to leave. Vader, however, did not seem to like this idea.

" I would be honored if your wife and daughter would join us", he stated flatly, voicing it not as a request but an order. Bail turned back to his family and nodded at them. Leia was not unaware of the flash of fear that passed over his face before he dismissed it like the politician he was.

The tour, because of the enormous size of the palace, took the rest of the morning and a good portion of the afternoon. It was nearly 1700 when Bail finally led Vader to Senator Amidala's room. Organa paused, and glanced up at Vader.

" This room is not in use, my lord", he told him. " It is rather dusty; I am sure that you would rather not see it".

Vader gave him a cool glare.

" On the contrary, I would be very interested in viewing its contents", the Sith lord informed him in a tone that left no room for arguments. Bail gave a sigh, resigned, and turned the fancy crystal handle.

Vader entered the room first, clearly suspicious as to why Bail had wanted to leave the chamber out of the tour. He glanced around at the dusty room, lifted a few drapes, then turned back towards Organa, clearly about to order him to continue the tour, when his eye was caught by the large oil painting that hung on the wall.

The Sith lord gasped and stepped backwards, nearly tripping on his cloak.

" P-Padme…" he gasped, holding a hand out in front of himself, almost as if to shield himself from Senator Amidala's cold gaze.

Bail Organa quickly took charge of the situation. He pulled open the door once more and suggested: " My lord, if you are done here, then…"

Vader had already hurried out of the doorway and back into the hall, where he leaned for a moment against the wall, staring dumbly into space. The Viceroy of Alderaan hurriedly shut the door, and turned to the Sith lord. Vader slowly transferred his gaze from the opposite wall to the eyes of his host, and for a moment Leia could tell that he was very, very angry, so angry that he might hurt her father…

She took a step forwards…

And Vader leaned his head back upon the wall, his anger dissipating and turning to pain. There was a long pause, then Bail suggested quietly: " Lord Vader, perhaps you are ready to continue the tour…?"

Vader finally straightened up and came unsteadily to his feet.

" No", he stated, not sounding nearly as calm and uncaring as he had previously. " I have seen all that I wish to see", and with that he strode quickly away, leaving the Organa family staring after him in confusion. But before he left Vader cast one last haunted look at the doorway of Amidala's room…

And, Leia reflected, it was strange, but for a man with such an imposing appearance, he had seemed amazingly vulnerable…

A.N.: Hello everybody! Thank you for reading TPOSA (that's what I'll be calling " The Portrait of Senator Amidala")! I hope you liked it, and please leave a review!


	3. Dancing and Danger

Chapter 2: Dancing and Danger

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written purely for fun.

Leia sighed to herself as she watched couples twirl in graceful clouds of cloth on the dance floor. The boring parties that her father threw each night for Lord Vader were irritating and tedious; no other children attended them so she had no one to talk to and because everyone was so much taller than her she was unable to dance, her and any potential partner would look ridiculous together.

The young princess put her polite smile back in place and turned once more to listen to the conversation her father was having with some dignitary. They were discussing a new law that had been established on a distant planet. Bored, Leia gazed back at the dance floor. Wait, was that Lord Vader leading one of her father's female advisors onto the floor?

Leia was surprised. Somehow she had never thought of Lord Vader as being able to dance, although she supposed that it was a very important social skill and that the would be expected to dance with the females of higher rank.

The orchestra began a dignified waltz and the pair began the dance. Lord Vader was a fine dancer; he was well balanced and surprisingly graceful but it was somehow very apparent that this dance only took place because social courtesy dictated that it must. Perhaps it was the way that although the sith lord's head facing his partner's Leia just knew that he was not actually looking at her and… oh yes. He was holding the woman's hand in a very light, almost loose manner, and his palm barely brushed her back. Both were as far away from each other as they could possibly be while still dancing, almost as if they were pushing the bonds of social courtesy as far as they would go.

The dance ended and the woman curtsied politely to her partner and received a short bow in return then turned and hurried away, a small shudder racking her frame and a grimace passing over her face almost as if, Leia thought, she had been dancing with death itself.

The young princess forced herself to focus once more on her father and the politician's conversation. Finally the two finished talking and Bail walked to the refreshment table with Leia.

" How are you doing Leia?" he asked her. " Not too tired, I hope?"

" No father", she replied. " I'm fine".

Bail selected a glass of champagne for himself and some (non-alcoholic) punch for Leia and together the two entered into the midst of their company once more. To Leia's dismay one of her least favorite dignitaries, Roln Itare made his way over to them, a simpering smile pasted onto his greasy face.

" Viceroy Organa", he greeted, his hands smoothing out minute creases on his heavily embroidered and jewel encrusted robes. " I trust I find you well?"

" Very well thank you Senator", Bail responded, his face the picture of courteous interest.

" Good, good", the man replied, turning to Leia. " And how are you today Princess Leia", he inquired, addressing her as usual in the tone one uses when speaking to a two year old.

Leia forced herself not to glare at him and struggled to make her lips turn up into a smile.

" Well Senator, and you?" she asked.

" I don't mind telling you I've been better princess", he told her confidentially. Leia tried very hard to make herself look like Senator Itare's wellbeing mattered to her.

" Oh?" she responded.

" Yes, Lord Vader unnerves me", he told her. " The man is so… so… abrupt, if you know what I mean princess. It is impossible to have a relaxed conversation with the man. One always has the feeling that he knows what one is thinking, if you know what I mean".

" Lord Vader is a highly respected supporter of the empire", Leia responded very properly, privately thinking that if Lord Vader unnerved Senator Itare then perhaps she could forgive him for at least an hour of this tedious night.

" Well, uh, certainly, yes" Itare responded nervously. " It's just that… well, you know…" seeing no softening in Leia's carefully cultured disapproving expression the man hurriedly changed the subject.  
" Now what is it that you have there?" he inquired, gesturing at her drink.

" It's cervola punch", Leia answered, glancing down at her glass.

" I see", continued the man. " Perhaps I'll just go… get some…" and he edged away.

Bail turned from where he had been pretending to converse with another guest and gave Leia a smile.

" Well done", he told quietly, and she smiled back at him. As the princess glanced over her shoulder to see Senator Itare's flight she caught sight of Lord Vader staring intensely at her. The girl gave a start and turned to face him completely, however, when she had done so the man was speaking to a dignitary, seeming as if he had not so much as glanced at her.

" Leia? Is anything wrong?" inquired Bail worriedly.

" Oh no, not at all", she replied, turning away once more.

The young princess turned back towards her father as he engaged an admiral in polite conversation. After a moment she noticed a woman she rather liked, a family friend, standing on the second level of the room.

" I'm going to speak to Lady Kaela", she told her father. He nodded at her and Leia headed for the staircase. The woman noticed her when she was about halfway up and smiled in greeting. Leia was just opening her mouth to say hello when there was a sudden burst of compact sound and an angry red streak of heat shot past her and exploded onto the side of the staircase, narrowly missing her.

Leia gasped, staring at the smoking hole where the blaster bolt had hit and spun around when more shots rang out all around her. Screams sounded from the guests and the young princess finally lost her balance and toppled through the air. She could see a black clad being raising a blaster at her from the head of the staircase and knew that she was finished, that there was no way she could dodge in midair when a powerful arm caught her around the waist and pulled her against it's frame.

Leia looked up to be greeted by the sight of Lord Vader's helmeted head looking down at her. The sith lord snatched a silver and black cylinder from his belt and ignited his crimson lightsaber. Assuming a fighting stance and shielding Leia behind him Vader deflected each bolt with his glowing blade until finally one flew back into the body of the assassin who crumpled, lifeless, to the ground.

The sith lord turned to Leia.

" Are you alright princess?"

" I-I think I'm fine", the Leia gasped, the realization of what a close brush with death she had just encountered setting in. Vader began carrying her back down the stairs.

" First time in years…" he muttered quietly, probably not intending for Leia to hear what he said, but she did.

" The first time what?" she asked, too shocked to be intimidated by the sith lord. Vader glanced at her, seeming slightly startled. However, he did eventually give her an answer.

" The first time… I saved a life in years", he responded, then they were at the foot of the stairs and he was handing her to her father.

" Leia! Are you hurt?" Bail gasped.

Leia shook her head, clinging to her father tightly as tears leaked out of her eyes. Breha Organa hurried over to embrace Leia as well.

" Lord Vader, thank you so much!" she exclaimed. " How can we ever repay you-"

One glare from the sith lord silenced her.

" It was nothing", he snapped. " I suggest you arrest the assassin and question him". With that Vader swept away, leaving the crush of people to find some bit of peace.

Leia stared after him, confused. He didn't even give her time to thank him! And what had he been talking about earlier, about not having saved a life for years? Suddenly, a suspicion crept into the young princess's mind.

" I would like to go to bed please, mother, father", she told her parents weakly.

" Yes, that sounds like the best thing that can be done right now", agreed Bail. He carried Leia to her bedroom surrounded by guards and tucked her in to bed.

" I've got five guards outside your room Leia", he told her. " Don't worry, no one will be able to get to you".

The princess nodded, said goodnight to him, lay down and pretended to be asleep. As soon as her father had switched out the lights and left the room Leia sat up, hurriedly stuffed pillows under her blankets, and crept over to the door that led to her parents room. She knew that they would not have returned yet; they would be investigating how the assassin had entered the palace and would be dealing with their worried guests. She had at least three hours.

Leia opened the door from her parent's room as quietly as she could. There was a large statue beside the door, so if she was careful and didn't open the door too much, the guards probably wouldn't notice her. She shut the door silently and padded down the hall slowly, still obscured by the statue. At a turn in the hall Leia hurried down another passageway and down two flights of stairs. Finally she arrived at a familiar dark wooden door with a crystal handle. Her suspicions had been correct; the door was ajar.

Leia peeked into the room. Sure enough, a tall, black clad figure was standing before the portrait of Senator Amidala, his loud breathing echoing around the room. The princess pushed the door open a little more and entered the chamber. The door gave only the tiniest of creaks as it swung inwards, however, that was enough. Vader wheeled around.

" What are you doing here?!" he snarled.

Leia gasped, her breath caught in her throat.

She could tell that Vader was very, very angry… and all the stories she'd heard about him came flooding back.

A.N.: Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review!


	4. Perfectly Cold

Chapter 3: Perfectly Cold

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written purely for fun.

Leia turned and ran for the door, but some invisible force seized her and yanked her back violently. The girl collided with a couch and fell to the ground. A dark shadow suddenly blocked the light and Leia looked up to see Lord Vader towering above her.

" You should be in bed!" he exclaimed. " Why did you come here?!"

Leia stared up at him, too terrified to reply. Vader dropped to his knees and grabbed her shoulders.

" I asked you a question!" the sith lord exclaimed. " Why? Why?!" When she remained silent the young princess could sense his anger gathering and growing like a storm that is about to erupt.

" WHY?!" screamed Vader one last time, and Leia felt her body rise, fly at the wall-

And stop, inches away from the portrait of Senator Amidala where she fell abruptly to the ground. Vader was recoiling from the painting, from the cold, unforgiving glare that shone from the woman's eyes. He groaned and fell to his knees, clasping his head in his hands.

" Padme", he moaned. " You know I never wanted… I never… no, no…"

Leia's terror turned into pity at the sight of such a man so helpless before a simple piece of art, and she climbed to her feet and walked slowly towards him. Gently she reached out and rested her hand on his shoulder.

" Lord Vader", she whispered. " What's wron-"

And then the sith lord flung her hand from him and sprang up from the ground.

" What's wrong?" he snarled. " What's wrong?! Everything is wrong princess, everything! How dare you presume to touch me? How dare you presume to follow me here? You have inherited your father's arrogance, princess! How dare you believe you can comfort me, _me_! You are simply… simply…" and he raised his hand as if to hit her when again he caught sight of Amidala's representation and stopped cold.

Once more pity welled up inside of Leia and she stepped forwards, words of comfort on the tip of her tongue. Vader's head snapped back in her direction and he brought his arms around himself almost as if to shield himself from her kindness.

" Go!" he shouted, and Leia finally took the more prudent course of action and fled.

The next few days Princess Leia did not see much of Lord Vader. Whenever she was around the sith lord always seemed to have urgent business elsewhere, especially on his ship. But there were a few moments when nobody could find Vader for and hour or two, and when they were beginning to contemplate searching for the sith lord he would always reappear mysteriously.

Leia had a good idea where he spent his time.

However, because of the minuscule amount of time she saw him each day the young princess's life was pretty much back to normal. She studied, she played, she studied some more and she asked her father endless political questions. The only change in this routine was that she wondered… she wondered whether Lord Vader was visiting Senator Amidala right now, she wondered how he was feeling. Was he sad? Was he lonely? He hadn't seemed as evil as she'd heard. Leia wondered constantly yet got no answers… but plenty of confusion.

It was the eighth day of Lord Vader's visit when the first incident occurred.

Leia was sitting in a cosy window seat reading a datapad dealing with the empire's politics when a harsh, agonized scream rang out from the hallway.

The princess jumped to her feet and ran to the door, her datapad clattering to the ground. She hurried into the hallway, looking for the source of the awful cry. More loud sobbing was to be heard and Leia followed this noise to her parent's room where she found here mother slumped against her father as she cried. Bail had an arm around her and was speaking to her in a low voice. When Leia entered her looked up, pain in his eyes.

" Father", Leia whispered. " W-what's happened?"

" Leia…", he sighed. " Lady Kaela…"

" Yes?" the princess prompted.

" Lord Vader has… has executed her on the grounds of treason", he finished. At his words Leia's mother gave a particularly loud sob.

The girl stared at her father in horror. " What? Why? Why would he do something like that?"

" He and his men grew suspicious of her", answered Bail in barely more than a whisper. " They searched her home when she was out and found evidence of rebel ties among her things. Vader he… he choked her to death himself".

" That horrid, horrid… monster!" sobbed Breha. " How could he? How could he?!" And mingled with the pain in her eyes there was fury as well.

Bail reached out his arm, inviting Leia to join them. In his face, too, the longing for revenge and the fury and pain at losing someone one loves fought for dominance. Suddenly Leia was afraid.

Why were they just sitting here? Just sitting here, hating him? Didn't they tell her not to hold grudges? Why were they wallowing in hatred like this?

Leia didn't want to be someone who was consumed by hatred like that. She was scared of how angry her parents were. She was scared of how angry she was herself.

" No, no!" she exclaimed, and the young princess turned and fled as quickly as she could.

She did not pay attention to where her feet were carrying her, she did not control their path but after a few minutes that were blurred by pain Leia found herself at Senator Amidala's room. She turned the crystal doorknob and was met with a startled Darth Vader who whirled around from where he stood surveying the painting. Leia could feel anger growing inside him, but she did not give him time to show it.

" You killed her!" she shrieked. " You killed her! Why did you kill Lady Kaela? She was our friend! She was kind, gentle! She never hurt anybody! Why?!" And she threw herself at him, hitting him as hard as she could though her blows bounced off of the sith lord's armor and no doubt hurt her more than him.

Vader reached down, caught her wrists and held her back from him.

" She was a rebel sympathizer", he answered impassionately. " It was therefore my duty to destroy her".

" That sounds scripted!" Leia shouted at him. " Do you yourself think that it was right, excluding duty?" Sensing that he was about to respond affirmatively, she attempted another line of attack.

" Do you think that Senator Amidala would think it was right?!"

That certainly hit home. The Dark Lord flinched and averted his gaze.

" That is", he whispered, losing all self-assurance. " That is irrelevant-"

" It's not irrelevant!" Leia shouted. " Because obviously her opinion matters to you! Why else would you keep visiting her? Why else would you continue to be pained by her memory despite how long she's been dead? Of course it's relevant!"

" Silence!" exclaimed the sith lord. " I told you it doesn't matter! She's gone!" He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her. " She's gone and I… I have done my duty!" And it was now Vader's turn to flee from Leia and Senator Amidala.

He left in his wake a very confused young girl.

" Who is he?" Leia gasped, sinking to the floor. " Who is he? How can he be so vulnerable and yet so cruel?"

The princess looked up to see Senator Amidala staring down at her coldly.

" Too cold", whispered Leia. " Nobody can be… perfectly cold…"

A.N.: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, it makes my day reading them! By the way, did anyone catch the line that Vader says: " You have inherited your father's arrogance, princess!" I thought that was kind of funny because he doesn't know it but he's calling himself arrogant lol! Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	5. A Gift

Chapter 4: A Gift

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written purely for fun.

The study was a very pleasant room in the aldeerian palace. It was full of interesting datapads, comfortable furniture and various potted plants and scientific instruments. The large, full windows at one end of the room kept the chamber well illuminated during the day and at night the crystal-studded lamps substituted the sun's cheerful glow. The windows in question opened upon the stunning garden of the royal palace, full of roses and star lilies and a plethora of other equally fascinating (and expensive) plants.

If only Leia could enjoy the delights of the room.

Scenes kept flying through her head: Vader's shocked reaction to the portrait on his initial tour; him snatching her from the air and from certain death, shielding her with his body; his comment about hers being the first life he saved in years; him sending her flying towards the wall-but halting her path the next moment; and the news of the execution of Lady Kaela; his moments of terrifying fury, of broken vulnerability, of dark cruelty, of unexpected kindness… He was such an enigma! How was one to tell what his personality really was, who the being was that shielded all humanity from behind his skeletal mask? Was he good or bad? Was he kind or evil? Impossible to ascertain the truth!

" Princess, are you sure you're quite alright?" asked her tutor worriedly for at least the fifth time.

" Oh yes, I'm fine", she responded automatically for at least the fifth time.

He paused for a moment, obviously still concerned, then began to collect his books.

" Perhaps moving on from history princess?" he suggested. " I know how fond you are of politics, or perhaps some geography…"

An idea burst its way into Leia's head.

" If you don't mind, sir", she responded. " There is one project I would like to work on with you…"

Darth Vader sat unmasked in his hyperbaric chamber, cloaked in shadows. So dark, so very dark… he was as dark, as deep as the surrounding shadows- No! He was far darker, far deeper than them! The emperor's second-in-command reached into his shroud of shadows and withdrew his mask. His mask…

It was cold. It was hard and cold and empty, devoid of all feeling as it gazed impassionately at its wearer. So cold, so very cold… he was as cold, as empty as the sculpted piece of durasteel and mechanics that he held in his prosthetic hand- No! He was far colder, far emptier and emotionless than it! The sith lord's gaze went from his mask to the ungloved, sorry excuse for a limb that held the mask securely in its grasp. Such a disgusting attempt at replacement of the real one that had once existed, that had once lived. So false. Such a crude, ridiculous facsimile of what had been. He, too, was a disgusting and false replacement- No! He was far stronger, far better than the man who used to exist, to live and breath and _feel_! He was above that being! He must not harbor such thoughts! No, think of the dark shadows, think of the impassionate mask, think of anything but who he once was!

Wait, he had made a mistake! That man- the dark lord must not associate himself with him! And so the being inside the hyperbaric chamber combated furiously for peace within himself. He concentrated upon death, despair, murder, and finally all painful thoughts began to disperse. He felt himself fill with the satisfaction of a victory when, unbidden, _her_ portrait appeared in his mind, _her_ cold, unforgiving gaze that had once been sweet and tender-

Vader collapsed to the ground, human once more. The recollection of each loving kiss, every soft embrace was the stabbing of a million swords in his twisted, wasted heart. She had been a treasure, a brilliant shining gemstone. Only the one she trusted the most could have been the one to shatter it in two. She was right to glare. She was right to pierce him with her lovely gaze. Dying painfully again and again each day of his life was too good for him-

The dark side came to him, whispering of relief from pain, of life free from suffering…

He seized it and its promises as a drowning man latches onto a wooden board; as the board is the only hope for the drowning man's survival so the dark side seemed to Vader the only hope of survival for him. How could he live with what he had done without it?

As he had done countless times before Vader filled himself to the brim with the dark side, with all of the evil of the galaxy until all of his pain was gone and his only emotion was dark fury. He was so dark, cold, empty, so impassionate that the sith lord felt sure that all of his former weakness had at last been overcome. Standing, the sith lord placed the mask that reflected all that he was, that reflected his true face, over the pale, scarred representation of someone who had lived and breathed and felt, it seemed, a very long time ago.

Yes, Vader was sure that that someone was finally gone.

But he did not look for him too closely.

Princess Leia Organa sat in Senator Amidala's chamber, working frantically. She had no idea how much time she had so she must conclude her project swiftly. She looked up briefly from her work to snatch a tool and her eyes met the cold gaze of the room's inhabitant.

" It is hopeless", Senator Amidala seemed to say. " He is evil. He will not change".

" I will not give in without a fight", responded Leia defiantly.

" Then suffer, fool", was the cold reply. " Do not say I did not warn you when you are broken and bleeding".

Leia worked a little faster.

Darth Vader turned calmly from the corpse of the man he had finished interrogating.

" Dispose of him", he ordered Organa's guards. With that, the sith lord swept from the room leaving those in his wake to feel the emotions that no longer preyed upon his black heart.

He had unearthed much information on this trip. His master would be pleased. Now it was time for Vader to return to the capital. He possessed sufficient evidence to have Bail Organa tried and convicted of treason.

Leia's hand moved at a frenzied pace. Lord Vader was leaving today, she had to finish her project, she had to be ready! But wait, she'd made a mistake… The young princess hurriedly corrected herself, knowing that every second counted.

Vader strode from the jail cells and found Bail Organa speaking to a guard. The viceroy of aldeeran hurriedly turned his attention to the sith lord.

" Lord Vader, what can I do for you?" he inquired courteously, although anger shone from his eyes. Clearly he had heard of the officials Vader had executed recently.

" I have completed my business here", the dark lord informed him. " I leave in the hour".

Bail's was obviously relieved, however, he strove to conceal this.

" Then allow me to state that it was an honor to entertain you here my lord, and do feel free to return at any time you wish. I trust your business went well?" he enquired.

" It has been completed most satisfyingly", Vader rumbled menacingly, and he strode to his admiral.

" Inform the ship that we shall leave immediately", he ordered the man.

" Yes my lord!" the admiral responded, and he hurried off.

Leia completed the final stroke of her work and without taking a moment to admire the fruits of her labor the young princess sprang up and sprinted through the hallways as quickly as her short legs could carry her.

" Please let Lord Vader still be here!" she prayed silently.

Bail and Breha Organa stood together as they bid Vader farewell.

" I apologize for my daughter's conduct Lord Vader", Bail told him. " It is unlike her to disappear in this manner".

" It is of no importance", intoned the sith lord calmly, turning to leave.

" Lord Vader, wait!"

All eyes flew to young Leia Organa who hurried towards the group. Her hair was halfway out of her (previously) neat buns and her cheeks were flushed with exercise. She came to a quick stop and seemed to realize how disorganized her appearance was. Vader looked at her questioningly.

" Please excuse my tardiness", Leia told him. " I would like to thank you for honoring us with your presence and request that you accept this". And she held a small picture frame towards him.

Darth Vader reached out and took the proffered gift. Turning over the frame he recognized an imitation of the portrait of Senator Amidala that hung in the gloomy, abandoned room of the aldeeranian palace. It was a simplified watercolor painting but was replicated with enough skill that it was easily apparent what Leia's model had been. The two pieces of art were extremely similar except for one detail:

Whereas the original portrait gazed coldly and harshly from its ornate frame, the Senator Padme Amidala shown here smiled gently at Vader, kindness and forgiveness in her eyes.

The sith lord was too overwhelmed by his emotions to say anything, but Leia cut in for him.

" I think that this version seems more like her, don't you think?" she asked him cheerfully. " She was too cold and distant in the other one. Nobody is as perfectly cold as she was in the other painting".

Still Vader was unable to give a response, so he finally settled for a low bow, turned, and hurried away, back to his ship and his duties. Leia smiled to herself and turned away as well, back to her own family. Bail gave her a quiet glance and the royal family began to walk away together.

" Leia", he uttered, not without a touch of worriness. " You… did you see that he… did you realize that…"

The princess smiled up at him.

" Yes father", she responded. " I understood".

" He was in love with my mother".

_THE END_

A.N.: So, there is the end of TPOSA! Thank you so much for sticking with it, I hope you enjoyed my fic! All of your reviews have been wonderful and encouraging, it's always a pleasure to read them. In conclusion, I have only one thing to say: May the force be with you!


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